The Plumb Line Principle: How God's Word Anchors Our Hearing

The Plumb Line Principle: How God's Word Anchors Our Hearing 

"How do I know it's really God?" 

This might be the most common question I hear from people learning to recognize God's voice. And honestly, it's a healthy question. The desire for discernment shows wisdom, not doubt. God doesn't want us to be gullible—He wants us to be wise. 

But here's what I've discovered: the answer isn't found in developing perfect spiritual hearing. It's found in understanding how God's written Word serves as our plumb line—our safety net and foundation for everything else He wants to say. 

Scripture: Your Safety Net, Not Your Limitation 

When I talk about the Bible being our plumb line, I don't mean it limits what God can say to us. Far from it. God will talk to us about many things outside the scope of Scripture. The Bible doesn't tell us what kind of car to drive or what food to put in our bodies or which job to take. But it gives us guidelines and teaches us healthy principles that inform those decisions. 

What Scripture does is provide guardrails. It gives us a safety net so that when we think we're hearing something from God, we have a way to test it. 

Here's the crucial principle: Jesus may talk to us about things outside the Word, but He will never contradict the Word. Never. If you think you're hearing something that goes against clear biblical teaching, you can know with confidence that it's not God's voice. 

This is why it's so important to know our Bible—not so we can become religious know-it-alls, but so Holy Spirit can bring things to our remembrance. 

When Scripture Comes Alive 

There's a beautiful difference between reading the Bible as information and experiencing it as God's living word to you personally. When you're reading and a verse jumps off the page at you, when Scripture suddenly becomes personally relevant to exactly what you're facing—that's God taking His written Word and making it alive and active in your life right now. 

But here's what's crucial: even when God brings a verse to your remembrance or makes Scripture come alive, you need to continue the conversation. Don't just assume you automatically know what He means. Ask Him, "Lord, what is it about that word that You want me to know? What are You saying to me through this?" 

The Same Verse, Different Messages 

I love how Gregory and his friend Graham Cook both heard from God using the exact same verse from Deuteronomy—but God told Gregory not to pierce his ear while telling Graham to do it! Same Scripture, opposite directions. Both men heard from God correctly because both continued the conversation to understand what God was saying specifically to them. 

This illustrates why we can't just grab a verse and run with our own interpretation. We need to ask the Lord what He's communicating through His Word in our specific situation. 

Building Confidence 

Here's what I want you to understand: God wants to communicate with you even more than you want to hear from Him. He's not playing hide-and-seek. He's not trying to make you guess correctly to earn His approval. 

Your responsibility isn't to develop perfect spiritual hearing. Your responsibility is to make sure you're good soil—that your heart isn't hard, that you're not dismissing Him, that you're not letting the cares of this world choke out His voice, and that you're not walking in unbelief or unforgiveness. 

Your faith should be in His ability to communicate, not in your ability to hear perfectly. 

He Will Confirm His Word 

Here's something beautiful about God's character: He will confirm His word to you. He won't leave you wondering forever whether you heard correctly. He's committed to clear communication with His children. 

Sometimes confirmation comes through circumstances aligning. Sometimes through other people speaking into your situation. Sometimes through Scripture becoming alive in a new way. But He will confirm His word because He loves you too much to leave you in confusion and doubt. 

Freedom Within Boundaries 

Think of Scripture not as a limitation on God's communication, but as a foundation that gives you freedom to hear Him without fear. When you know His character and His ways through His written Word, you can step boldly into relationship with Him. 

You can explore the wonderful adventure of hearing God's voice in dreams, impressions, circumstances, and countless other ways—all while staying anchored to the solid rock of His written Word. 

There's so much more to explore about using Scripture as your foundation for hearing God's voice clearly. I dive deep into these principles in my course "Honoring God's Voice," but the most important thing is just starting to test what you think you're hearing against what you know about God's character from His Word. 

Blessings, 
Susan Dewbrew